Machinery for trimming, dressing, and planing staves.



No. 657,3!2. Patented Spt. 4, 1900.

A." DUNBAR.

MACHINERY FOR TRIMMING, DRESSING, AND PLANING STAVES.

(Application filed May 24, 1898.) (No Model.)

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' UNITED STATES PATE T OFFICE ALEXANDER DUNBAR, OF LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND.

MACHINERY FORTRIMMING, DRESSING, AND PLANING STAVES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 657,312, dated September 4, 1900.

Application filed May 24, 1898. Serial No. 681,545. (No model To all whom it maycconcern:

Be it known that l, ALEXANDER D'UNBAR, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Liverpool, in the cou'ntyof Lancaster, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Machinery for Planing,

Trimming, and Dressing Stav'es, (for which I I have made application in Great'Britain for a patent, No. 25,486, hearing date November 3, 1897,) of which the following is aspecification,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of one part of the machinery. Fig. 2 is a section-on the line A A on Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail View at the line B B on Fig. 1. I

This invention relates more particularly to dressing what are known as split or riven staves, a large proportion of which are naturally crooked or twisted, but it is also applicable to straight or sawed staves.

Heretofore it has been the practice in dressing twisted staves to cause the cutters to follow closely the natural twist or curve of the stave, with the result that in many instances staves so dressed have been wasted-owing to the impossibility of straightening the curve or twist sufficiently to allow of the stave being worked into a cask.

The main object of my invention is to pro vide means whereby crooked ortwisted staves may be so operated on that the above-mentioned waste of staves will be avoided and for these purposes. I

In order to plane or. dress, or what is known as back and hollow, the sides or flats of a stave, I provide clamps, grippers, or jaws for securely holding the stave at two or more points, preferably three-that is, at each end and at or near the center; The clamps, grippers, or jaws are carried on a frame free to move in guides on a mainframe and are adjust-able, so that a twisted stave may be constrained to assume a straight, or nearly straight, position, while rotating cutters carried on a sliding framework are caused to pass over the sides of the stave, except where held by the clamps or grippers, and plane or dress such sides to the desired form. If desired,portions of the clamps, grippers, orjaws may be carried on weighted levers attached to the main frame. Templetguides connected with the sliding framework carrying the cutters are provided, so that such cutters receive the necessary motion for backing and hollowing the stave. Instead of being hacked and hollowed the sides of the stave may b left straight, if desired. 1

Any twist or bend remaining in a stave after planing or dressing as above set forth will not be sufficient to prevent such stave being worked into a cask almost as easily as a straight stave.

In Figs. 1 and 2, 1 is the main frame of the machine. 2 is a bar or frame vertically movable in guides 3 in the main frame by means of toggle-links 4, operated by links 5, lever 6,

- and screw and hand-whee17. Any other convenient means of raising and lowering the bar 2 may be used, if desired. 8 are brackets secured to the bar 2 and having pivoted thereto at 9' plates or pieces 10. The plates 10 are formed wedge-shaped on the under sides. 11 are wedge-pieces bearing against the under sides of the plates 10 and movable to and fro by means of the screws and hand-wheels 12, so that such plates 10 can be raised or lowered, as desired. 13 is another bracket secured to the bar 2 (see Fig. 3) and having pivoted thereto at 14 a lever 15, one arm of which,15 ,proj ects under the stave 16 at about the center, and the other arm is provided with a hand-wheel and screw 15, so that the arm 15 can be raised or lowered, as desired. The stave 16 rests on the plates 10 and arm 15", as shown. 17 17* are pressers which bear against the top of the stave at the ends. The pressiers are formed with steps 17", so that whatever width a stave may be such pressers always bear against the edges, as shown. 18 is a presser which bears against the top of the stave at about the center. The plates 10, arm 15, and pressers 17 17, and 18 act as grippers or jaws,whereby the stave is securely gripped at the ends and center and held straight.

The presser 18 is bent,so as to allow free travel 21 are stops to prevent 17 18, descending beyond a certain point when thestave isremoved. 2,2v are cutters on shafts 23, carried in hearings on arms 24 r 24 attachedyto aframework, or carriage25."

"lhe cutters are caused to rotate by pulleysv and beltsi26i 26?.in any usual or convenient .way. The'arms 24: are pivoted at -24? and are adjustable by means of the screw 27,

r so as to regulatethe distance between. the

' wheels 2829, which runon templets or' guides 30 31, the curve of' the templet 30 being struck from the shaft which carriesthepul-l leysfrom which the belts 26 are driven,

thus allowingof the carriage25 being moved;

1 to and. fro without any tightening. or; slack-w ening of thebelts 26*.

The templetl 31 is so: curved that the'cuttersmove in th'enecessary "arc to give the desired. backing and hollowing to the stave. 32 are levers and. lin ks whereby to-and-fro motion can begiven to" the carriage. 25. The action of this. partofi the machinery is as follows: The toggle-links 4 are operated so as 'to lower the bar 21 toits lowest position. Astave is-then placed upon.

the plates and arm .v vIf thestave is "10 are .raised correspondingly, so that the;

cutters will. act on the stave so as not to take,

' off more wood than is necessary to properly' shape the stave.' The arm 15 is adjustedby means of the hand-wheel 15 to support the" bottom ofthe stave, so that such stave shall be in a straight line longitudinally. The toggle-links 4 are now operated so as to raise, the bar 2 and with it the stave 16 until .the stave is brought against the pressers 17 17s, and 18. If the stave should be twisted axially, the pressure exerted by the pressersjl'l 17 on the top of the stave as thebar 2 con?- tinues to move up is sufiicient "to force the stave flat against the plates 10,. thereby taking out the axial twist, the presser 18 hold.- ing the stave against the arm 15*, and thereby taking out any upward bend there may be. in the stave. The stave is thus held practically straight both axially and longitudi-- nally. The bar 2 is now further raised, forcing the pressers and their weighted levers. upward until the stave is in the desired position before the cutters. The lever 32 is. then operated so as to draw the carriage 25 forward, thereby causing the rotatingcutters 22 to pass over thetop and bottom of the stave and plane or dress the same to the de-'v sired shape. It will be observed that the central portion of the stave is-not acted on. by 1 the cutters in this partof the machinery. The): carriage: and cutters areythen moved backward, the bar 2 is lowered; audfthe stave *is'removedQ g g V I do not confine myself to" the particular details of plates and pressers forming the 5 grippers, as many'arrangementsof grippers or jawsmay be made for .efiecting' the same vobject', nor dollimitmyself to one central arm and presser for supporting the center of the stave, as in very-thin staves two or more arms, and pressers might be used,:the cutters 'beingcorrespondihgly arranged.

I claim L a l r e g 1. In stave-dressing machinery, the combi- Eriation of. stavetclamps or.- grippers holding jthe workEatJ'ighttangles.to the travel of the i'cutter-carriage, and: arranged to twist the -.stave:axially,comprising movable tables under the endsof the staves andadjustable aneach side edge of the stave, and cutters arrangedto act upon thestave; substantially as described. v .2. Instave-dressing machinery, the combination of end clamps or grippers adapted to hold lillQrWOIkfli] right angles to the travel of the cutter, compressing vertically-movable pressers arranged to flattenthestave as it is forced up, a centraladj ustable. arm arranged to straighten the stave, and cutters arranged topass over the top and bottom of the stave; substantially as described. I In stave-dressinglmachinery, the combination of stave clamps or grippers holding the work at right angles to the travel ofthe cuttercarriage, and arranged to twist the stave axially,comprising.movabletablesunder theends of" the staves and adjustable angularly, and pressers resting on the top of each side edge of the stave, and a cutter-carriage movable on wheels running on templets and carrying cutters for the staves; substantially as described. I

- 4. In stave-dressing machinery, the combination of. stave clamps or grippers arranged to hold the work at right angles to thetravel of the cutters, comprising tables under the endsofthe staves, and adjustable according to their section, and weighted pressers on each edge of the stave. at the ends, a central adjustable arm, an upper presser arranged toact upon the central portion of the stave, andv cutters arranged to cut the top and bottom of the stave; substantially as described.

; Witnesses: j W. B. JOHNSON,

ROBERT ORAIL.-

gularly, and pressers resting onthe top of 

